Ponsonby
Ponsonby
4.3
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4.3
631 reviews
Excellent
272
Very good
270
Average
76
Poor
10
Terrible
3
C M
Auckland Central, New Zealand858 contributions
Dec 2023 • Friends
This is a nice neighbourhood to explore while in Auckland - a nice long street full of yummy eateries of all price classes and good high end shops. It's a quick bus trip on the green Inner City Link bus or a longer walk from the CBD. One on end it borders Karanagahape Road as well which is also full of good food places so you could easily make it a day of eating and maybe a little shopping
Written 7 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
U9607JLsandraw
Wilderness27 contributions
Sept 2019
This is a beautiful city in the North Island of New Zealand with lots of nice restaurants, shops and old buildings. Lots of Kiwi craft and arts can be found here. It is worth while to spend a day walking through the streets of Ponsonby. Nice boutique shops to visit as well.
Written 12 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marla W
59 contributions
Dec 2023 • Couples
We stayed in an amazing, well situated B&B for a few nights as we explored the area by foot. The 38 Franklin B&B was our home base.
We were able to walk to the main dining/shopping street as well as other local nearby areas.
The panoramic views extraordinary.
We were able to walk to the main dining/shopping street as well as other local nearby areas.
The panoramic views extraordinary.
Written 3 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Theresa D
Perth, Australia1,310 contributions
Aug 2024 • Solo
Quite hard to get to from Auckland cbd but once I was there by taxi I did enjoy walking around looking at the different shops and cafes. Also a fab undercover food hall which was beaut when it started raining- they have toilets too!
Found a few quirky things to buy and a friendly shop owner called me a taxi to get back to the cbd
Found a few quirky things to buy and a friendly shop owner called me a taxi to get back to the cbd
Written 8 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mouzouris
Detroit, MI2,138 contributions
Apr 2024 • Family
We had time to kill in Auckland so we decided to drive there based on the reviews. Parking was kind of pain to find but not a big deal. We had lunch and ice cream and walked around. A lot of shops and restaurants. Not really impressive as people talking about it. Maybe at night time for drinks with the skyline at the background but it was just ok for us. If you have time to kill I would go but I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit if not a lot of time in Auckland.
Written 9 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ogerkan
New York City, NY4,709 contributions
Feb 2020
Great neighborhood with many shops, bars & restaurants. Shops range from vintage to designer with all types of dining options on offer. Love the Gallery with the guy who made the spaceship art. If they did not weigh 20 lbs each, probably would have brought one back to NYC.
Written 22 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Highho
london6 contributions
The most happening place in Auckland, full of cafes, restaurants and people sitting at tables in the street at all hours of the day and night. I dont think anyone has breakfast at home.There is even a Starbucks but it is not popular with the locals who much prefer their delicious coffee. It is a great place to stay as it is a million times more interesting than the down town area which is a bit shabby. Easy to get around as there is a bus that passes along the main road every ten minutes or so.
Written 20 September 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Goose
Newcastle, Australia254 contributions
Nov 2017 • Family
We stayed in Ponsonby for 2 nights. It's a very trendy neighborhood with one long main drag and lots of bars/restaurants hidden down alleys.
There is a large variety of shops, with a heavy focus on fashion and beauty. There are equal number of boutiques and big brand names. To walk the entire street and do some shopping will take you half the day if you stop for a coffee.
It also boasts lots of places to eat and drink. Easily over 100 places. There again is a wide variety, from cheap fish and chips shops to super expensive fine dining. Whatever cuisine you want and whatever your tastes are, you will find something to satisfy.
The jewel of the street is Ponsonby Central...a medium size covered shopping mall that looks like a train station. Inside you'll find lots of places to eat, grocer, butcher, cheeses, wine, etc. If you are a tourist and have limited time... just go here.
Our favourite restaurant was Miss Moonshine, a southern American place hidden down a lane on the other side of Ponsonby Central. If you love your whiskey like me, be sure to find Cork.
There is a large variety of shops, with a heavy focus on fashion and beauty. There are equal number of boutiques and big brand names. To walk the entire street and do some shopping will take you half the day if you stop for a coffee.
It also boasts lots of places to eat and drink. Easily over 100 places. There again is a wide variety, from cheap fish and chips shops to super expensive fine dining. Whatever cuisine you want and whatever your tastes are, you will find something to satisfy.
The jewel of the street is Ponsonby Central...a medium size covered shopping mall that looks like a train station. Inside you'll find lots of places to eat, grocer, butcher, cheeses, wine, etc. If you are a tourist and have limited time... just go here.
Our favourite restaurant was Miss Moonshine, a southern American place hidden down a lane on the other side of Ponsonby Central. If you love your whiskey like me, be sure to find Cork.
Written 3 November 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TravelVal
Phoenix, AZ797 contributions
Mar 2014 • Couples
Ponsonby was okay - nice for a stroll, antique shopping or people-watching, a cocktail or a bite to eat but it was seriously much less charming than I expected. There is really nothing charming about it. We stayed in this 'area' of Auckland to be near something special but it was just a long road with a lot of shops and bars/restaurants. Expensive drinks everywhere we went. Just a lot of people gathering but nothing really going on. I don't know if I would specifically vacation near there again.
Written 2 April 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
medusazul
Montevideo, Uruguay78 contributions
Ponsonby is the most interesting, safe and relaxed area of the city.
Excellent as a base for other areas of the city, this historical neighborhood has more Victorian style houses than any other part of the Southern Hemisphere. It is the food area of Auckland and Aucklanders go there to dine. There are bars, restaurants, cafes, fantastic bakeries, sophisticated boutiques, funky shops & galleries and the area is proud to be “gay friendly”. A real bohemian environment.
Live music is from Wednesday to Sunday at various places.
We had a great night listening to acoustic music at One 2 One on Ponsonby Rd. and it obviously has a regular group of fans there. We dropped in for a drag show at Sister Dorothy’s. They danced onto the road so passers by stopped to watch. It was fun.
We had been returning from The Ponsonby, a beautiful, Victorian ex-post office where we had delicious plates of garlic mussles.
There are movies and songs about Ponsonby Rd, and even guided walks that tell of this colorful heritage. The Link Bus runs every 10 minutes so you can be at the Auckland Museum, the harbor or any other highlight of the city in a few minutes.
At one end of Ponsonby is Karangahape Road, once the red zone of the city, today owns the title for having the most edgy night life. Walking along this street is an interesting thing to do, and a link between Ponsonby Road and Queen Street and is a a walking route to the museum. We LOVED the museum. We are from Uruguay and there was even a bell from the “Achilles” that was in the battle of the River Plate”
Just a short walk down the hill from Ponsonby is Shanghai Lil’s, a bar & lounge themed on the mysterious and baroque 1930’s Shanghai. We had delicious cocktails listening to 80yr old Billy playing jazz piano. Mine was Madam Chang. It has an ecclectic collection of furniture which meant we all had a different type of chair to sit on. One was a carved, Chinese, black hardwood chair & my partner had an overstuffed armchair. One of Auckland’s special places.
We stayed at the Great Ponsonby Arthotel so all of this was in walking distance.
Excellent as a base for other areas of the city, this historical neighborhood has more Victorian style houses than any other part of the Southern Hemisphere. It is the food area of Auckland and Aucklanders go there to dine. There are bars, restaurants, cafes, fantastic bakeries, sophisticated boutiques, funky shops & galleries and the area is proud to be “gay friendly”. A real bohemian environment.
Live music is from Wednesday to Sunday at various places.
We had a great night listening to acoustic music at One 2 One on Ponsonby Rd. and it obviously has a regular group of fans there. We dropped in for a drag show at Sister Dorothy’s. They danced onto the road so passers by stopped to watch. It was fun.
We had been returning from The Ponsonby, a beautiful, Victorian ex-post office where we had delicious plates of garlic mussles.
There are movies and songs about Ponsonby Rd, and even guided walks that tell of this colorful heritage. The Link Bus runs every 10 minutes so you can be at the Auckland Museum, the harbor or any other highlight of the city in a few minutes.
At one end of Ponsonby is Karangahape Road, once the red zone of the city, today owns the title for having the most edgy night life. Walking along this street is an interesting thing to do, and a link between Ponsonby Road and Queen Street and is a a walking route to the museum. We LOVED the museum. We are from Uruguay and there was even a bell from the “Achilles” that was in the battle of the River Plate”
Just a short walk down the hill from Ponsonby is Shanghai Lil’s, a bar & lounge themed on the mysterious and baroque 1930’s Shanghai. We had delicious cocktails listening to 80yr old Billy playing jazz piano. Mine was Madam Chang. It has an ecclectic collection of furniture which meant we all had a different type of chair to sit on. One was a carved, Chinese, black hardwood chair & my partner had an overstuffed armchair. One of Auckland’s special places.
We stayed at the Great Ponsonby Arthotel so all of this was in walking distance.
Written 1 February 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ASTUTE BUILD - it's a typo in the main post.
Written 14 July 2024
Hi how do you get their using public transport I will be staying in Henderson should I use the train service to get into town !?
Written 8 May 2017
Get the bus , you can go directly to it , check the bus web site.
Written 8 May 2017
Try Dizengof in Ponsonby road (think that is correct spelling). Very good selection, be prepared for it to be busy but have a look upstairs as it often has available seating. Delicious food, reasonable prices.
Written 13 December 2016
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